Chapter 240: [Bonus - ] Siltbound Penitents
Thoren and the group walked for close to two hours under the scorching weather. His back was drenched in sweat, and his breathing had become ragged and uneven.
Still, he maintained the same pacing as the others without falling behind.
Looking at Cressida and Neville, he could see a faint smile hanging at the corner of their lips. Behind them, the other party members all had different expressions on their faces.
But none of them seemed to be tired from the long journey.
Only a few had a single bead of sweat on their foreheads. No one spoke a single word. Everyone was conserving their strength while also checking their surroundings for any potential threat.
Just from this observation, Thoren confirmed that they were not novices. They knew what they were doing, and this was not their first time exploring ruins on the Bleeding Desert.
"We are there," a voice announced from the front.
It was a young man with an ordinary, forgettable appearance. Hanging on his waist were two deadly daggers that gleamed in the sunlight.
He was a Hunter.
When everyone heard his announcement, they halted in their tracks and looked at him. Without waiting for the others to speak, he moved forward with slow, measured steps.
They were in the middle of an endless desert, with sand dunes all around them. Yet, the hunter moved as if they had arrived at an important destination.
Everyone had their eyes locked on his every movement.
The hunter moved forward for a couple of steps and unsheathed one of his daggers. He fell on his knee and used the dagger to pry the sand to the side.
Clank! Clank!
The sound of metal hitting metal echoed loudly in the dry desert air. Slowly, he reached out his hand into the sand and pulled upward with great effort.
Hmm!
A sharp groan escaped from his lips, and his muscles bulged against the strain. But he kept up pulling, and slowly, a narrow passage appeared before them.
The desert sand fell quickly into the dark narrow passage, and thick, stale air rushed out of the opening. It reeked of time long past and forgotten.
Looking at the dark passage, everyone knew this was the entrance to the ancient ruin.
"We all know how we do this," one of them spoke firmly. He was a tall young man with an athletic build and commanding presence.
He was a warrior, and clearly their leader.
"As for the person joining us, follow us and do not drag us down," he completed his statement, giving Thoren a brief, cursory glance.
Cressida and Neville did not speak at all. Each held their breath, looking at the ruin entrance with barely contained anticipation.
"Let us enter," the warrior, who seemed to be their captain, announced with authority.
Quickly, the Tank stepped forward first with his heavy shield raised high. Behind him, the others followed closely in a single file line.
Last on the line was Thoren who entered calmly.
The moment they entered, the entrance passage seemed to have vanished completely. In truth, the door returned to its original state, and the desert sand covered its surface once more.
It was as if nothing had happened in the first place.
Ten minutes later, another group arrived at the same ruin entrance. Without any hesitation, they followed the actions of the hunter and pried open the ruin entrance again.
Seeing the dark entrance before them, the group could not help but grin widely. Their eyes flashed with bloodthirst and naked greed.
Quickly, they followed after their unsuspecting prey.
They thought they were the hunters stalking their prey from the shadows. But they were completely wrong.
A few minutes later, a group of powerful Jackal Beastmen arrived at the ruin entrance. Just like the previous group, they entered the ruin without any fanfares or caution.
Walking down the dark narrow passage, the scene before them began to unfold slowly. At the end of the passage was a massive cathedral that defied all logic.
The cathedral leaned at an unnatural angle, half consumed by slow moving crimson sand that seemed to pulse with its own life.
Its once grand structure now groaned constantly, as if resisting an unseen force that was dragging it deeper into the earth. The air inside was thick and damp, carrying a faint metallic scent that stung the nostrils.
Every step echoed too loudly, then returned slightly delayed, as if the cathedral itself was mocking them.
For a moment, everyone held their breath in awe. They looked at the cathedral with different expressions of wonder and fear.
"Let us go that way," the Captain said, taking a deep breath and pointing a certain direction.
Looking at the direction he pointed, they saw a hall slanted nearly forty degrees to one side. Broken pillars stretched out like grasping arms reaching for help. The doorway was a slow slope of shifting, unstable sand.
Following from behind, they approached the slanted hall with extreme caution. No one dared to breathe too loudly in the oppressive silence.
Creak! Creak!
Stepping into the slanted hall, everyone planted their feet firmly on the unstable ground. Any slight mistake, and they would find themselves swallowed by the crimson sand below.
"Everyone, be very careful," the captain warned in a hushed voice.
No one needed to be told twice in this deadly place.
The group proceeded forward with the utmost caution.
Their eyes darted from left to right, watching for any sign of movement or danger.
Over their heads, the ceiling arched above them, cracked wide open, allowing faint red light to bleed into the darkness. Everything about the hall spoke of imminent danger.
Even though everything reeked of death and peril, the allure of ancient ruins was just too good to ignore. Moreover, to grow stronger quickly, they needed to explore as many ruins as possible.
Thoren and the group walked on the slanted hall for a couple of meters when the crimson sand began to shift as if it were alive.
Silence fell upon them instantly.
Footsteps halted completely.
Everyone gripped their weapons tightly with white knuckles.
However, Thoren did not focus his attention on the shifting sand like the others. Instead, he watched the slanted walls carefully.
He sensed something moving on the wall, but since he was exploring with others, he chose to remain quiet for now.
When the group thought everything was finally alright, something flashed out of the wall without any warning.
Bang! Bang!
The Tank only managed to raise his shield when a powerful force slammed into it with tremendous impact. He stumbled backward, losing his balance, and fell into the crimson sand below.
"What is that?!" a voice screamed in pure terror.
From the wall, dozens of nightmare creatures appeared before their eyes.
[Siltbound Penitents]
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[AN: Please support this book with your golden ticket and power stones. This Chapter is sponsored by Scott_Berry_3382.
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